Best Cover EVER? – Graham Johnson

Best Cover EVER? is our series of what various comiker types think of as the very best cover they remember. And for that week, it is absolutely the Best Cover EVER…. until another one comes along the next weekend to usurp the fake plastic crown. Because there really is no Best Cover EVER, just a series of great, great covers….

Today it’s the turn of comic writer and artist Graham Johnson who, along with writer Ella Risbridger produced the magnificent Arthur & Posy, one of my best comics of 2012 (reviewed here – Issue 1 & Issue 2). Risbridger and Johnson describe it as “A big glittery gay fairytale fandango about a boy who’s too pretty to be a boy and a girl who doesn’t want to be a girl” and I summed it all up with “this is a wonderful little comic book, rough, raw, vibrant, absolutely charming.”

Future plans for Johnson include the Sixth Form soap opera webcomic Private Study and a new comic project called Port In A Storm, the trials and tribulations of a student house and the people it’s home to.

But first…..

Baby’s In Black – SelfMadeHero, 2011.

Cover art by Arne Bellstorf

This cover may be simple but there’s no denying it’s stylish and effective as hell. The simplicity of the black and white grabs you immediately off the shelf. You get a good sense of what the art will be like inside, you know it’s the story of two people, you get a sense of the, well, smudgy smokiness ever present in the comic. That hand rendered type for the title is beautiful.

The longer you look at both the text and the illustration you start to pick up little subtleties. I could probably waffle on longer, but it would just be waffle, I’ve said what’s important.

Richard again here, thanks to Graham for that. Just a quick interjection….

Now interestingly enough, in the US, the book was published by First Second, and although they have a really good design sense usually, I honestly think they rather dropped the ball on this one, losing the simplicity and flow of the art into the type in favour of more figures. Or maybe that’s just me? What do you all think?

Like this Article? Share it!

About The Author

Richard Bruton- Started in comics retail aged 16 at Nostalgia & Comics, Birmingham. Now located in Yorkshire, he's written for the Forbidden Planet International Blog since 2007. Specialising in UK Comics and All-Ages comics, Richard's day job in a primary school allowed him to build the best children's graphic novel library in the country.